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Haley sticking to script even though it's not working

PITTSBURGH -- No less a coach than Bill Parcells had little use for scripted plays at the beginning of a game.

“If he caught us sneaking a first 10 [in] he was after us,” said Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who was an assistant under Parcells with the New York Jets in the late 1990s. "[But] as I’ve got into the coordinator business, I do think the players like the night before to hear and be able to think through those first couple. You like to give them just a little heads up, ‘Hey, here’s what we’re thinking,’ so they’ve got a chance to mentally go through it and go through the process before it actually happens.”

The script – it is about 10 plays – the Steelers take into games has come under scrutiny with the offense generally getting off to slow starts this season. Haley does not think the approach has been an issue in part because of how carefully constructed the script is.

Haley asks quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to give him plays the 10th-year veteran likes, and he puts together the script after collaborating with the other Steelers coaches following the final practice of the week.

The script isn't finalized until after Haley meets with Roethlisberger the night before a game.

“We’ve thrown [out] the first play if it’s like, ‘Ooh, I am not super comfortable with that being the first play, maybe we move it down to the third play and move the third play up,’ ” Roethlisberger said. “There is some altering going on Saturday nights.”

Haley dismisses any notion that the Steelers have been too conservative with their script, and he said feeling out a defense and trying to discern what formations it is using is something usually associated with West Coast offenses.

“I believe in you better run your best plays because you may not have another chance,” Haley said. “We’re running what we think are our best runs and passes.”

Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders agreed.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve been conservative,” Sanders said. “Hey, sometimes it takes guys a little while to get into a rhythm. We need to do a better job of getting into a rhythm faster.”

Haley said he did some extra “research” this week to figure out why the Steelers have scored just two touchdowns in the first quarter this season. That includes poring over film of previous contests, and one conclusion Haley has made is that scripted plays haven’t held back the offense at the start of games.

“There’s a lot that goes into it,” Haley said of the script. “Who do we have where? Who do we need to look out for? Who do we need to protect? What are the matchups that we can win? Then, we’ve got to make that happen. We’ve got to just keep trying to dig and figure out what gives us the best chance to get out of the gates a little better.”

Newsflash Haley: the script ain't workin. The Steelers offense is 28th in the NFL in pts in the 1st quarter. (however; they are doing a half-decent job possessing the ball with the O holding the ball 52% of the time... good enough for 13th in the NFL. Now if they can only figure out how to score....)

This is asinine. This is not an offense that should be "sticking" to anything. This is an offense that should be looking for ways to change. Haley reminds me of a guy running head down, as hard as he can, into a brick wall. After spending a month in the hospital, he goes back out to do it again and says "this time it will work".

This is asinine. This is not an offense that should be "sticking" to anything. This is an offense that should be looking for ways to change. Haley reminds me of a guy running head down, as hard as he can, into a brick wall. After spending a month in the hospital, he goes back out to do it again and says "this time it will work".

Newsflash to you all: MANY coaches, namely among those the great Bill Walsh, would script their plays.

The scripting of plays is not a bad practice in/of itself, and actually is good practice when you hear Haley's reasoning. The problem is lack of consistency of the players executing the plays. If one guy completely breaks down, it is going to wreck the greatest play design. I mean, I don't know what you guys expect. I suppose you think we should just line up and whip people.

But you can't "Just Do That", if (e.g.) Adams is getting up more a$s on the backside than a Bangkok masseuse. That kind of thing puts you in long yardage jail all game long. If our o-line can keep from hurting each other, and show some semblance of consistency in play, you'll see our "script" working much better.

Newsflash to you all: MANY coaches, namely among those the great Bill Walsh, would script their plays.

The scripting of plays is not a bad practice in/of itself, and actually is good practice when you hear Haley's reasoning. The problem is lack of consistency of the players executing the plays. If one guy completely breaks down, it is going to wreck the greatest play design. I mean, I don't know what you guys expect. I suppose you think we should just line up and whip people.

But you can't "Just Do That", if (e.g.) Adams is getting up more a$s on the backside than a Bangkok masseuse. That kind of thing puts you in long yardage jail all game long. If our o-line can keep from hurting each other, and show some semblance of consistency in play, you'll see our "script" working much better.

Haley gets way too much blame.

You have to call plays to ur personnel .... make ur personnel better by ur playcalling.

You have to call plays to ur personnel .... make ur personnel better by ur playcalling.

That is what he is trying to do. O-linemen can't sustain blocks, so he calls short passes... he gets criticized.
We want to minimize their pass-blocking deficiencies, so we cater to their "strengths" (i.e. run blocking)... he gets criticized.
If he lets Ben throw deep (i.e. has to hold onto the ball longer) and Ben gets hit too much... he gets crushed.

Now... I'm not a Haley "fan", but I do recognize that many of the offensive issues are out of his hands. Bubble screens and Wildcat plays aside, I think that the offense has too small a margin for error, due to two glaring reasons:

1) D gives them almost NO extra chances during a game, to build rhythm, because they can't turn the ball over.
2) Mike Adams and his complete failure, short-circuited so many drives, with his ineptitude.